Representatives from Baidu, NAVYA, PACCAR, Voyage, National Safety Council, California Highway Patrol, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Others to Lead Discussions on Safety and Education

Velodyne Also Hosting Two-Day “AutoDrive Challenge” in Alameda, Calif. from Oct. 15-16, Part of a Three-Year University Competition to Develop a Fully Autonomous Vehicle

Velodyne LiDAR, Inc. today announced the launch of its World Safety Summit on Autonomous Technology to address safety issues and public concern regarding autonomous vehicles (AV). The Oct. 18th event, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., brings together business, government, public safety and community leaders to explore the use of AV technology in a global effort to increase roadway safety. In conjunction with the summit, Velodyne is also hosting the AutoDrive Challenge™ training workshop at its San Jose headquarters on Oct. 15-16. Part of a three-year competition with General Motors and SAE International, the workshop gives eight teams of university students the chance to develop a fully autonomous vehicle.

The summit, hosted by Jamie Hyneman, former host and executive producer of MythBusters, kicks off with opening remarks by Velodyne LiDAR Founder and CEO, David Hall. Hall is a self-driving industry visionary and inventor of the 360-degree, 3D LiDAR which ignited the AV revolution. Keynotes from two industry experts will follow his remarks: Christopher A. Hart, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Anne S. Ferro, president & chief executive officer, American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. During the summit, attendees can participate in an interactive Open Working Group led by David Strickland, Partner, Venable LLP and former Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Closing remarks will be made by Vicki Knox, interim chief executive officer with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

“This first-ever World Safety Summit on Autonomous Technology provides participants with a forum for frank discussions about the direction of autonomous vehicles. It will also spark collaborative work that increases consumer awareness around how AV will revolutionize transportation,” said Marta Hall, president and CBDO, Velodyne LiDAR. “The summit aims to increase understanding of the safety benefits that can be achieved with autonomous vehicles, including reducing the damage done by the 94 percent of fatal vehicle crashes caused by human error each year.”

The summit features two expert panel sessions that explore ways to educate the public about autonomous technology in an effort to boost knowledge, address concerns and clarify issues. The first session, “Defining Full Autonomy and its Necessary Technologies,” focuses on the ways companies, media and government can increase public trust in AV technology by providing transparent and consistent messages about standards and capabilities. The second session, “Responsible Autonomous Vehicle Deployment,” provides a forum for speakers to explore how companies and governments can work together to safely realize the social, economic and environmental benefits of AV technology.

In conjunction with the summit, Velodyne is leading an Oct. 15-16 training workshop at its San Jose headquarters for students from the eight university teams participating in the AutoDrive Challenge™. This three-year competition, organized by General Motors and SAE International, tasks teams with developing a fully autonomous vehicle. Students from this event will also be on hand at the Oct. 18th Safety Summit.

The workshop’s focus is LiDAR technology, which provides the high-resolution, 3D information about the surrounding environment that is required for fully autonomous driving. The workshop will educate students on key LiDAR development building blocks, including sensor integration, sensor fusion, lane detection and vehicle detection. It also includes an overview of the Velodyne Megafactory, the robotic manufacturing hub for the world’s most advanced LiDAR sensors.

“Innovation and ingenuity are a cornerstone in making the safety of autonomous vehicles a reality,” said David L. Schutt, PhD, CEO, SAE International. “Through the AutoDrive Challenge, students explore and gain hands-on experience to learn how LiDAR and other technologies can guide an autonomous vehicle reliably and safely. Velodyne LiDAR is taking a leadership role in helping train these next-generation engineers who are preparing to invent the future of safer transportation.”

Velodyne is a key AutoDrive Challenge sponsor and core technology provider, supplying LiDAR sensors to the university teams along with technical support from Velodyne engineers. The universities participating in the AutoDrive Challenge include: Kettering University, Michigan State University, Michigan Tech University, North Carolina A&T State University, Texas A&M University – College Station, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo and Virginia Tech.

For more information about the World Safety Summit on Autonomous Technology, please click here.

MEDIA PLEASE NOTE: For more information about Velodyne LiDAR or to request an interview with David Hall, please contact David Cumpston at [email protected] / (415) 359-2316.

About Velodyne LiDAR

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Silicon Valley, Velodyne is a technology company known worldwide for its real-time 3D LiDAR computing and software platforms. The company evolved after founder David Hall invented the HDL-64 Solid-State Hybrid LiDAR sensor in 2005. Since then, Velodyne LiDAR, Inc. emerged as the unmatched market leader of real-time 3D vision systems used in a variety of commercial applications including autonomous vehicles, vehicle safety systems, mobile mapping, aerial mapping, and security. Its products range from the high-performance, surround view Ultra-Puck™ VLP-32, classic HDL-32/64 and cost-effective VLP-16, the new VLS-128, to the upcoming, hidden Velarray™. Velodyne’s rich suite of perception software and algorithms are the key enablers of its perception systems. Velodyne supports customers from offices in San Jose, Detroit, Frankfurt, and Beijing. For more information, visit http://www.velodynelidar.com.